


An Introduction to Third Year

by seekeronthepath



Series: Severus Snape and the Boy Who Lived [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arithmancy (Harry Potter), Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms Class (Harry Potter), Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, Gen, Herbology Class (Harry Potter), History of Magic Class (Harry Potter), Hogwarts school subjects, Muggle Studies, Potions Class (Harry Potter), Study of Ancient Runes (Harry Potter), Transfiguration (Harry Potter), Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:20:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29729628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekeronthepath/pseuds/seekeronthepath
Summary: "Good morning, everyone! I am Professor Burbage, and over the next three years, I will be teaching you about the differences between the muggle and wizarding worlds..."The introductory speeches made by Hogwarts teachers in their first class with the third years.[Note: You don't need to read the rest of the series - the canon divergence is minor at this stage and will be explained in the notes of the relevant chapters]
Series: Severus Snape and the Boy Who Lived [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1237073
Comments: 89
Kudos: 246





	1. Muggle Studies - Professor Charity Burbage

Good morning, everyone! I am Professor Burbage, and over the next three years, I will be teaching you about the differences between the muggle and wizarding worlds. We’re going to learn about how muggles do things without magic, about how to navigate muggle towns and cities safely, and how to interact with muggles without them suspecting you are from another culture.

Muggle Studies is useful for anyone who is going to be travelling, living, or working around muggles. Some of you may be taking this course because you hope to work in the Ministry, in the Magical Accidents and Catastrophes section, or in Misuse of Muggle Artefacts, or the Office of Misinformation. It’s also useful knowledge for people involved in transport, in real estate, in running large events… This course can make the difference between passing unnoticed, and having to call the Obliviation Squad.

I know that you all will have different backgrounds. Some have grown up in the muggle world, and this course is helping you understand wizarding perspectives. Some have very little knowledge of muggles, and this course will be introducing you to new vocabulary and new ideas. Others are somewhere in the middle. I hope that those of you with more background will share that knowledge with the class, and that those of you who are less familiar with the muggle world will feel free to ask questions. There are no stupid questions in this classroom! 

Now, we’re going to start today by thinking about a very simple problem, something that can illustrate the challenges that muggles face without magic, and some of the tools they use to overcome those challenges. Let’s imagine that you needed to move a ton or so of bricks from one place to another, so you could build a wall. If you didn't have magic, how would you do it?


	2. Ancient Runes - Professor Bathsheba Babbling

Everyone settled? Good. Get your quills out, go on - there’ll be plenty of note-taking in this class. 

Ancient Runes is one of the most academically challenging subjects taught at this school. It requires accurate observation, analytical thinking, thoroughness, precision, and an excellent memory. This year, we will be studying runes themselves: the Futhorc alphabet, used here in Britain. In the years to come, we will add Ogham, another native alphabet, and the Phoenician alphabet. If you continue after your OWLS, we will also do some work with Greek.

This is not a language class! We will not be studying the languages written in the scripts we use.  _ If _ you continue learning about runes after your graduation, you will learn about the effects of languages on the use of runes. It is beyond our scope in this course.

What is within our scope? This year, you will learn the Futhorc alphabet. You will learn the sounds signified by each rune, and the meanings associated with them. You will practice copying runic inscriptions, using quill and ink, and stylus on wax tablets. You will learn the underlying principles behind written magic. You will examine existing runic spells, and begin to explore why and how they work. Near the end of the year, you will learn to activate a runic spell.

This may sound to you like we are going too slow. I assure you, we are not! Runes are extraordinarily useful because they are the most  _ permanent _ kind of magic we have available. Done well, runic enchantments last for centuries, even millennia. So, we must  _ never _ act in haste. 

Open your textbooks to appendix one, on page four hundred and thirty-seven, and copy out each rune, its name, and the equivalent letter or letter combination in the Latin alphabet. You have five minutes to do so, and to transcribe your own name in runes. If you are not sure, write down the possibilities you can think of. If there is a sound in your name that Futhorc cannot express, note it. Once you are done, we will discuss it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got some tricky concepts to develop for the main fic, and this wouldn't fit into the storytelling style, but regular readers know how much I enjoy worldbuilding. Once I had the idea, I didn't want to abandon it.


	3. Care of Magical Creatures - Professor Silvanus Kettleburn and Rubeus Hagrid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this AU, because of reasons yet to be revealed on-screen, Kettleburn has delayed his retirement by a year. Hagrid is his teaching assistant, handling the creatures while Kettleburn lectures.

Pipe down, thank you! 

Better. I’m Professor Kettleburn, and you all know Hagrid. He’s going to help me teach you about Magical Creatures this year, seeing as I’m getting old and creaky. 

Now, I’m sure you’ve heard the rumours about how I lost my leg, and my ear, and half my hand, and so on. So let’s talk safety.

First,  _ always _ assume that an animal in distress can hurt you. It may not intend to, it may be extremely docile normally, it may be a hell of a lot smaller than you - it doesn’t matter.  _ Always _ be cautious around animals in distress.

Second, don’t  _ ever _ try to approach or handle an animal in this class unless I’ve told you that you can. It’s our job to supervise you; it’s  _ your _ job to make sure you’re supervised.

Third, if an animal ever hurts you - whether it’s a peck or a kick or a scratch, I don’t care how - get my attention  _ immediately _ . Animals don’t always have clean mouths and clean claws, even if they aren’t venomous. I know a fair bit of first aid myself, and I know when something needs help from Madam Pomfrey.

I’m generally pretty relaxed about classroom etiquette, especially since we’ll often be out on the grounds, but I am completely serious about these rules. If I believe you are being reckless with your safety, you will spend the next two practical sessions as an observer only. If you bother an animal without my permission, it’ll be four. And if you  _ ever _ intentionally hurt an animal in this class, you will be on observation only for a minimum of three months, and I will give serious consideration to expelling you from my class. Understood?

Good. Hagrid, would you fetch our visitor for the day from my office?

Today, we’re going to talk about a type of semi-magical creature that every wizard encounters and works with on a regular basis, and that many of you will keep as pets during your lives: owls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many of you reading the main fic talked about Hagrid's teaching skills when I asked you which electives Harry should take. Surprise! Hagrid's not the professor. The reason why SHOULD come up in the first few chapters of Book 3. I think.


	4. Divination - Professor Sybill Trelawney (and an AU with a different teacher)

**Professor Sybill Trelawney**

_ Welcome. How nice to see you in the physical world at last. Sit, my children, sit. _

_ Welcome to Divination. My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye. _

_ So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field… _

_ Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearing, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future. It is a gift granted to few.  _

\-----

**Professor Sofia Katsaros**

Welcome to Divination. I am Professor Katsaros - please, sit where you are comfortable.

So, you have chosen to study Divination - I commend you. The arts of Sight are perhaps the most difficult of all magical arts, because they depend on your own state of mind for success. Books and theory can only take you so far if you cannot open your mind to the limitless possibilities of the Beyond.

In this class, I will attempt to teach you to open your minds, so that you are able to gain insights from the Divination techniques we will try. You must be open to faint impressions and insights, able to consider many possible interpretations, and sensitive to the promptings of the Beyond. Do not dismiss what you perceive because it is impossible: observe without judging, and consider all things carefully.

In time, you will be ready to use cards, runes, and other concrete symbols - but first you must accustom yourselves to ambiguity. Therefore, we will begin with the reading of tea leaves.

Would you pass me that large teapot? Thank you.

Each of you, take a cup, and sit down in a group of three. I will pour tea for you, and I would like you to drink it slowly and silently. Take your time. Allow the ritual to calm you, let your thoughts and worries fade from your mind. If it seems right to pause, pause. If it seems right to drink, drink. When only the dregs remain, wait for my instruction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Professor Trelawney's lines are direct from canon, which is why they're in italics and why I stopped there. 
> 
> Professor Katsaros is an imagining of the same subject with a more competent teacher.


	5. Arithmancy - Professor Septima Vector

Well, then! A nice big class this year. Welcome to Arithmancy, everyone. I am Professor Vector, and I’ll warn you, I’m terrible with names, so forgive me if I make mistakes over the first few weeks.

Arithmancy is unlike any other subject you will study at Hogwarts. Other subjects are concerned with ‘what’ and ‘how’. In Arithmancy, we care about ‘why’. Why should a potion be stirred seven times instead of six? Why use a silver trowel when replanting moondew instead of an iron one? Why are Unbreakable Vows sworn in threes? Why are wards drawn in circles instead of squares?

Arithmancy uses the arts of arithmetic and geometry to study the relationships between things. It can be applied to every other subject you have ever studied, and will ever study. It can help you build ward schemes, design potions, and create spells. It can even help you predict the future. 

The first thing you need for the study of arithmancy is a facility with basic arithmetic - addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. On your desks you will find an abacus, and a slate and chalk. You can use whichever of these you are used to - although you’ll find that eventually we’ll move beyond problems that are convenient to do on an abacus. I’m going to hand out a list of arithmetic problems, and I want you to attempt as many of them as you can in this class period. If you don’t finish, do the rest as homework. If there is a problem you don’t know how to solve, leave it blank.

There is no shame in not knowing how to answer some of these questions. You have all had very different mathematics educations up until this point. The purpose of this task is to make sure I know what level you are at, so I can give you support and challenges accordingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now that I've done all five electives, I'm going to take a pause before I tackle the core subjects. I love your comments! Please feel free to ask questions about the curricula, I have plenty of ideas :)


	6. Charms - Professor Filius Flitwick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who haven't read the other fics in this series, note that last year, Professor Emma Kirkby took over teaching Charms and Transfiguration to the first and second years.

Hello, everybody! Welcome back, it’s marvellous to see you all! Quills  _ and _ wands out, please - we’re doing some practical review today, so I can see how you’re all doing after a year with Professor Kirkby.

But before we do, let’s talk about our plans for the year, shall we?

Each year, our goal is to add to the number of charms you can cast, to increase the  _ complexity _ of results you can achieve with new and known spells, and to increase the  _ strength _ with which you cast them.

A first-year colour-changing charm can turn a blue button into a red one. A second year can turn a white and black chessboard into a yellow and pink one. A  _ third _ year colour changing charm can change both colour  _ and _ pattern on something larger, like a scarf. As I’m sure you can see, this is an increase in both strength  _ and _ complexity.

_ Reparo _ is another spell we will revisit, moving beyond joining two torn or broken pieces together, into rejoining an item that has been shattered into many pieces, and reattaching pieces in a complex way - like putting buttons back on a shirt.

We will learn to levitate heavier objects, create brighter lights, and - very  _ carefully _ \- start larger fires. We will also practice  _ precision _ . It is no good starting a campfire when you meant to light a candle. 

We will practice applying charms to multiple similar objects simultaneously, or covering a broad area. Many of the charms you have studied up until this point are highly targeted; that will change.

And of course, we will learn new spells, ranging from simple variations like  _ Lumos Maxima _ , to the delicate precision of the Cheering Charm. 

Does anyone have any questions? No? Wonderful!

Now, I’m going to give each of you an object, and I want you to write a list of at least three charms you can apply to it, without them countering each other or interacting badly. You can come up with more, if you like, but no more than seven, so pick your favourites! Write down the charms you’ve picked, in the best order to apply them, and I will come around and approve your list before you have a go at it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am firmly of the opinion that learning how to levitate a feather does not mean you can levitate anything you choose. This is also how I deal with the distribution of individual charms they learn in different years failing to make any particular sense - they do the same charm in MULTIPLE years


	7. Herbology - Professor Pomona Sprout

Hello, you lot! It’s good to see you back again. Professor Mulpepper tells me he’s got you all trained up and ready for some new challenges! 

Over the past two years, you’ve learned a lot of techniques for caring for, harvesting, and staying safe around a range of plants. We’re going to keep working on that, but this year you’re also going to have two long-term projects - one for the autumn term, and one for spring. 

I’m going to split you into pairs, and each group will get a potted herb to look after for the next three and a half months. The plants are already well-established - starting something from seed is a spring project - but it’ll be your job to manage watering, keep an eye out for weeds, prune it, and harvest it. You’re going to keep a log book as you go, writing down what you do each time we visit Greenhouse 2, which we’ll do every practical lesson. And so that there’s no cheating, each group gets a different herb. I’ll hand them out next class.

Now, your herbs will need watering more often than we have class for you to do it in, so today, we’re going to talk about watering systems. Let’s start by thinking about groundwater. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Learning to identify and work with specific magical plants presumably goes alongside general plant care - which is, frankly, a lot easier to learn on basil than a bubotuber.


End file.
